St Edwards Hospital tramway
Encyclopedia
The St Edwards Hospital tramway was a tramway built for Staffordshire County Council for the construction of the County Mental Asylum
at Cheddleton
, Staffordshire. Opened in 1899, the line ran until 1954 before being closed and scrapped.
and the Caldon Canal
at Cheddleton Heath just north of Cheddleton. Designed by the London architects Giles, Gough and Trollope, construction began in 1895. To assist in construction of the hospital the contractors, W Brown & Son, laid a 0.75 miles line from the North Staffordshire Railway
's (NSR) Churnet Valley Line
at to the hospital site. Brown's used a small 0-4-0
Tank engine called Weaver (Manning Wardle
H-class 1072) to transport both men and materials to the construction site..
DC
, was supplied from the hospital boiler house. Once electrification work was completed, in 1903, a new platform was constructed at Leek Brook station on the down (towards Leek) Churnet Valley line to allow passengers to alight from NSR trains and cross the platform to use the tramway to visit the hospital. The council purchased an electric locomotive
from Wolverhampton and an old London horse tram was converted into a passenger coach; both vehicles were painted with the letters SCC to indicate their ownership by the county council. Although a passenger service was supplied, the principal function of the tramway was the supply of coal to the boiler house. About 200 long tons (203 t) was required each month, the NSR would deliver loaded wagons of coal to a siding at Leek Brook and the tram engine would propel the wagons, two at a time, to the boiler house with the empty wagons being returned to Leek Brook for collection.
After the First World War with the growth in bus and private car transport, there was a decline in passengers using the tramway so passenger services were discontinued in the 1920s. The coal traffic however continued until December 1954 when delivery by road took over and the line was closed and by May 1957 the line had been lifted.
) and also because being lightly built the tramway could not take the weight of railway locomotives. Past the sidings the line climbed steeply with a maximum gradient of 1:16.6 (6%) being encountered. The line then proceeded by way of a switchback
arrangement to terminate at the rear of the main hospital building.
History of psychiatric institutions
The story of the rise of the lunatic asylum and its gradual transformation into, and eventual replacement by, the modern psychiatric hospital, is also the story of the rise of organized, institutional psychiatry...
at Cheddleton
Cheddleton, Staffordshire
Cheddleton is a large village in the Staffordshire Moorlands, near to the town of Leek. It is divided into two distinct communities - the traditional village and the modern Redrow development located at St...
, Staffordshire. Opened in 1899, the line ran until 1954 before being closed and scrapped.
Construction
The County Mental Hospital, also known as St Edwards Hospital, was built in the late 1890s by the Staffordshire County Lunacy Committee to relieve overcrowding in other institutions. The hospital was located on a spur of land overlooking the River ChurnetRiver Churnet
The River Churnet is a river that flows in Staffordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Dove.- Etymology :The origins of the name "Churnet" are unknown, though it is thought to derive from the pre-English, British name for the river.- Course :...
and the Caldon Canal
Caldon Canal
The Caldon Canal , opened in 1779, runs 18 miles from Etruria, in Stoke-on-Trent where it leaves the Trent and Mersey Canal at the summit level, to Froghall, Staffordshire...
at Cheddleton Heath just north of Cheddleton. Designed by the London architects Giles, Gough and Trollope, construction began in 1895. To assist in construction of the hospital the contractors, W Brown & Son, laid a 0.75 miles line from the North Staffordshire Railway
North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
's (NSR) Churnet Valley Line
Churnet Valley Line
The Churnet Valley line was one of the three original routes planned and built by the North Staffordshire Railway. Authorised in 1846, the line opened in 1849 and ran from in Cheshire to in East Staffordshire...
at to the hospital site. Brown's used a small 0-4-0
0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
Tank engine called Weaver (Manning Wardle
Manning Wardle
Manning Wardle was a steam locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.- Precursor companies :The city of Leeds was one of the earliest centres of locomotive building; Matthew Murray built the first commercially successful steam locomotive, Salamanca, in Holbeck, Leeds,...
H-class 1072) to transport both men and materials to the construction site..
Operation
Upon completion of the hospital in 1899, Staffordshire County Council took over the line and converted it to an electrically powered tramway, an overhead wire system was erected and the electricity, operated at 220 voltVolt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
DC
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
, was supplied from the hospital boiler house. Once electrification work was completed, in 1903, a new platform was constructed at Leek Brook station on the down (towards Leek) Churnet Valley line to allow passengers to alight from NSR trains and cross the platform to use the tramway to visit the hospital. The council purchased an electric locomotive
Tram engine
A tram engine is a locomotive specially built, or modified, to work on a street, or roadside, tramway.-Steam tram engines:In the steam locomotive era, tram engines had to comply with certain legal requirements, although these varied from country to country:* The engine must be governed to a maximum...
from Wolverhampton and an old London horse tram was converted into a passenger coach; both vehicles were painted with the letters SCC to indicate their ownership by the county council. Although a passenger service was supplied, the principal function of the tramway was the supply of coal to the boiler house. About 200 long tons (203 t) was required each month, the NSR would deliver loaded wagons of coal to a siding at Leek Brook and the tram engine would propel the wagons, two at a time, to the boiler house with the empty wagons being returned to Leek Brook for collection.
After the First World War with the growth in bus and private car transport, there was a decline in passengers using the tramway so passenger services were discontinued in the 1920s. The coal traffic however continued until December 1954 when delivery by road took over and the line was closed and by May 1957 the line had been lifted.
Route
From the platform at Leek Brook, the tramway swung to the right alongside the exchange sidings from the NSR. Railway engines were not allowed further than these sidings under the various agreements between the NSR (and its successor the London, Midland and Scottish RailwayLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
) and also because being lightly built the tramway could not take the weight of railway locomotives. Past the sidings the line climbed steeply with a maximum gradient of 1:16.6 (6%) being encountered. The line then proceeded by way of a switchback
Zig Zag (railway)
A railway zig zag, also called a switchback, is a way of climbing hills in difficult country with a minimal need for tunnels and heavy earthworks. For a short distance , the direction of travel is reversed, before the original direction is resumed.A location on railways constructed e.g...
arrangement to terminate at the rear of the main hospital building.